Dynasty Tales
More than 2,000 years ago, during the Warring States period, the land was divided among several large states. Qin, in the west, was powerful, with many soldiers and generals. Zhao, in the north, was also a large state, but it was weaker than Qin.
The ruler of Zhao was King Huiwen of Zhao. During his reign, Zhao acquired a famous treasure: the Heshi Jade Disc from Chu. A bi was a round jade ornament in ancient China. A bi was a jade disk.
When King Zhaoxiang of Qin heard about it, he sent a letter to the king of Zhao. The letter said that Qin would trade fifteen cities for Zhao's Heshi Jade Disc.
Fifteen cities for one piece of jade sounded like a fine bargain. But the letter placed Zhao in a difficult position. Qin was much stronger, and Zhao could not decide by itself whether the exchange would really happen as promised. The king called his ministers together to discuss one question: should they give Qin the jade disc or not?
Give It or Not?
The king of Zhao called in General Lian Po and his ministers to discuss the trade Qin's king had proposed.
The king and his ministers worried that if they sent the jade disc and Qin did not hand over the cities, Zhao would have been cheated for nothing. But if they refused to give the jade disc, Qin might use that as a reason to attack. Qin was so strong, and Zhao was weaker. If Qin's king became angry and sent his army, how could Zhao hold it back?
Give it, and Zhao might be cheated. Refuse, and Zhao might be attacked. The king and his ministers talked it over again and again, but could not settle on a decision. There was another problem, too. Even if they decided how to answer, they needed a capable person to go to Qin and handle the matter. Yet no suitable person could be found among the court officials.
At that point, a minister named Miao Xian stepped forward. His post was Master of Palace Attendants, an official who managed affairs within the royal palace. Miao Xian said, “I have a retainer named Lin Xiangru. He is the person to send.”
A retainer was someone who lived in a noble household and carried out work for its master. Lin Xiangru was Miao Xian's retainer. The king asked Miao Xian, “How do you know he can do this?”
Miao Xian told the king about something that had happened to him. Long before, Miao Xian had committed an offense. Afraid that the king of Zhao would punish him, he secretly planned to flee to Yan. Lin Xiangru stopped him and asked, “How do you know the king of Yan will take you in?” Miao Xian replied, “I once accompanied our king to meet the king of Yan at the border. The king of Yan privately took my hand and said, ‘I would like us to be friends.’ That is why I planned to seek refuge with him.”
But Lin Xiangru explained, “Zhao is strong now and Yan is weak. The king of Yan wished to win your favor because you are trusted by the king of Zhao. If you flee from Zhao to Yan, the king of Yan will fear Zhao. He certainly will not shelter you. Instead, he will tie you up and send you back to Zhao. You should take off your upper garment, lie on the punishment board, and ask the king of Zhao for punishment. Then you may still have a chance to be forgiven.” Miao Xian followed this advice, and the king did forgive him.
After telling this story, Miao Xian said to the king, “This shows that Lin Xiangru is brave and wise. He is suited to the important task of serving as an envoy.”
The king listened and ordered Lin Xiangru to be summoned. He wanted to ask him face-to-face whether the jade disc should be given away.
Lin Xiangru's Plan
Lin Xiangru arrived. The king asked him directly, “The king of Qin wants to trade fifteen cities for my jade disc. Should I give it to him?”
Lin Xiangru answered without hesitation: “Qin is strong and Zhao is weak. We cannot refuse.”
The king asked, “But what if the king of Qin takes the jade disc and does not give me the cities?”
Lin Xiangru replied, “If Qin offers cities for the jade disc and Zhao refuses, then Zhao is in the wrong. If Zhao gives the jade disc and Qin does not give the cities, then Qin is in the wrong. Between these two choices, we would rather agree and let Qin bear the blame for breaking its word.”
These words untangled the problem that had kept the whole court from reaching a decision. Lin Xiangru's reasoning was clear: whoever broke the exchange agreement would be at fault. By agreeing first, Zhao would make Qin bear the blame if Qin failed to keep its promise.
The king then asked, “Who should go?”
Lin Xiangru said, “Since Your Majesty truly has no one else, I am willing to take the jade disc to Qin. If the cities are assigned to Zhao, the jade disc will remain in Qin. If the cities are not given, I will certainly bring the jade disc back to Zhao whole and unharmed.”
“Returning the jade intact to Zhao” means that the very same jade disc, with no part missing, came back to Zhao. That was Lin Xiangru's promise.
The king of Zhao sent Lin Xiangru westward to Qin with the Heshi Jade Disc.
The Treasure at Zhangtai
Holding the Heshi Jade Disc in both hands, Lin Xiangru traveled west to Qin. The king of Qin did not receive him solemnly in the main hall. Instead, he summoned Zhao's envoy to Zhangtai, a palace building, and showed him less respect than formal custom required.
Lin Xiangru respectfully presented the jade disc. The king of Qin was delighted. He passed it around for his favored women and attendants to admire. They took turns looking at it and shouted wishes for the king to live ten thousand years. The room was full of excitement.
Lin Xiangru saw that the king of Qin had no intention of paying with cities. The jade disc passed from hand to hand, but the king said not one word about the fifteen cities. Lin Xiangru understood: the king planned to take the jade disc without giving cities in exchange.
Lin Xiangru stepped forward and said to the king, “There is a small flaw in this jade disc. Please allow me to point it out to Your Majesty.”
The king of Qin handed the jade disc back. The instant it was in Lin Xiangru's hands, he stepped back beside a hall pillar and leaned against it. He was so furious that his hair stood up and nearly lifted his cap. He said, “When Your Majesty wanted this jade disc, you sent a letter to the king of Zhao. The king of Zhao gathered all his ministers to discuss it. They all said, ‘Qin is greedy. It relies on its strength and uses empty words to demand the jade disc. We will probably never receive the cities it promised.’ At first, none of the ministers wished to give the jade disc to Qin. But I believed that even ordinary people do not deceive their friends, much less great states dealing with one another. To show respect for the power of a stronger state, the king of Zhao fasted and purified himself for five days before sending me to bow in the court and present the state letter with this jade disc. Yet when I arrived, Your Majesty received me only in an ordinary palace hall and behaved with great arrogance. You took the jade disc and passed it around for favored women to see, making a mockery of me. I see that Your Majesty has no intention of giving cities to the king of Zhao, so I have taken back the jade disc. If Your Majesty forces me, today my head and this jade disc will be shattered together against this pillar!”
As he spoke, Lin Xiangru glanced sideways at the pillar and took the stance of someone about to smash the jade disc against it.
Afraid that the jade disc would be smashed, the king of Qin hurriedly apologized and repeatedly asked Lin Xiangru to calm down. He called for the officials in charge, spread out a map, and pointed to it. From this place onward, he said, fifteen cities would be assigned to Zhao.
But Lin Xiangru understood what was happening. He saw that the king's promise was only a show to fool him. Zhao would not actually receive those cities.
A Plan for Five Days
Holding the jade disc, Lin Xiangru said to the king of Qin, “The Heshi Jade Disc is a treasure known everywhere. Before the king of Zhao sent it, he fasted and purified himself for five days. If Your Majesty is to receive it, you too should fast for five days and hold the Ceremony of Nine Guests in court. Only then would I dare present the jade disc.”
Fasting and purification was an ancient way of showing solemn respect before an important event: people bathed, ate plain food, and quieted their minds. The Ceremony of Nine Guests was a grand court ritual for receiving honored visitors. The king of Zhao had fasted for five days before sending the jade disc, and Lin Xiangru asked the king of Qin to do the same and hold this grand ceremony before accepting it.
The king of Qin agreed. He fasted for five days and had Lin Xiangru lodged at Guangcheng Guest House. A guest house was a place where envoys stayed.
Lin Xiangru still believed that although the king of Qin had agreed to fast, he would eventually break his promise. The cities would never truly be assigned to Zhao. Once the five days were over and the jade disc had been handed over, it would never return.
He had to act during those five days.
Lin Xiangru called for one of his attendants. He told the man to change into coarse cloth clothes and dress like an ordinary person. The attendant tucked the Heshi Jade Disc carefully inside his robe, close against his body. Carrying the treasure in secret, he took small roads back to Zhao.
In this way, the famous jade treasure traveled safely back to Zhao, pressed against the chest of an ordinary man as he followed the small roads.
The jade disc had returned to Zhao, but Lin Xiangru himself remained at the Qin guest house, waiting for the five days to end.
Words in the Court Hall
Five days passed. The king of Qin did indeed arrange the Ceremony of Nine Guests in court and summon Lin Xiangru, Zhao's envoy.
Lin Xiangru stood before him and calmly said, “Since Duke Mu of Qin, Qin has had more than twenty rulers, yet not one has kept faith with his agreements. I was truly afraid that Your Majesty would deceive me and that I would fail the king of Zhao, so I sent someone to return the jade disc to Zhao long ago. He took small roads, and by now he has arrived in Zhao.”
Lin Xiangru continued, “Everyone knows that Qin is strong and Zhao is weak. If Your Majesty truly wants the jade disc, first cede fifteen cities to Zhao. How would Zhao dare keep the jade disc and offend Your Majesty then? I know that deceiving Your Majesty is a crime deserving death. Please hand me over for the punishment of the boiling cauldron, and only ask Your Majesty and your ministers to consider this matter carefully.” The boiling cauldron was an ancient punishment used to execute people convicted of grave crimes.
The king of Qin and his ministers looked at one another. Some attendants wanted to drag Lin Xiangru away for punishment. But the king said, “Even if we kill Lin Xiangru now, we still will not get the jade disc. Instead, we will destroy the friendship between Qin and Zhao. Better to treat him well and send him back to Zhao. Would the king of Zhao really deceive Qin over one jade disc?”
The king of Qin was making a different calculation. The jade disc was gone, and killing Zhao's envoy would not bring it back. It would only worsen relations between the two states. So he finally received Lin Xiangru in court with every proper ceremony and politely sent him back to Zhao.
Lin Xiangru returned to Zhao. The king believed that Lin Xiangru had carried out his mission to a powerful state without dishonor. He appointed Lin Xiangru a Senior Minister.
The historical record states the outcome clearly: Qin never gave the fifteen cities to Zhao, and Zhao never gave the Heshi Jade Disc to Qin. The famous treasure remained safely in Zhao.
